Cajun Red Beans

Delicious red beans. Serve it over rice with some cornbread. Yum!

Step: 1

Place the pinto beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water. Soak beans 15 minutes; drain and rinse.

Step: 2

Heat bacon grease in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir salt pork in hot grease for 1 minute. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, black pepper, and chipotle powder to salt pork; cook and stir until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes.

Step: 3

Stir smoked sausage, bay leaves, parsley, and thyme into salt pork mixture; cook and stir until sausage is browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Step: 4

Stir beans into sausage mixture and add enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and transfer beans mixture to a slow cooker.

Step: 5

Cook on High for 1 hour. Reduce to Low and cook until beans are tender, adding water as necessary, about 6 hours more.

Step: 6

Mash about 1/4 the beans against the side of the slow cooker crock with the back of a heavy spoon. Continue cooking on Low until beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove bay leaves.

Per Serving: 383 calories; protein 19.6g; carbohydrates 41.2g; fat 15.5g; cholesterol 25.4mg; sodium 547mg.

Deciding stay in and cook your food instead of eat in the evening out is already a step in the right way if you’re more point on eating healthier. There’s no best way to know precisely what’s happen into the food you’re eat than by making it yourself! Mastering the main dish is only half the process , though . And once you’ve mastering your chicken, steak, or fish, that is time to make your attention to the ever- focusing side dishes.

A side dish would easily derail your health goals, as sweetness , sodium, fat, and calories can all get than high quickly if you’re not careful . But with our healthy side dish recipes, you won’t ever run into that problem .